Goal: Applaud Bill Gates for his $31 million pledge to fight malaria in Latin America.

On January 24, 2018, Bill and Melinda Gates pledged $31.5 million to help eradicate malaria in Central America and the Dominican Repubic. The Gates Foundation announced the pledge to fight one of the world’s most devastating illnesses during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, an international gathering of political leaders, powerbankers, and noteworthy philanthropists. The Inter-American Development Bank and the Carlos Slim Foundation also announced pledges to help eradicate malaria during the World Economic Forum, joining The Gates Foundation in a collaborative effort to fight this disease.

Malaria is a mosquito-borne disease that is a constant and persistent problem for populations in warmer climates around the world. The disease is especially threatening to children under five, newborns, and pregnant women. These three demographics account for the majority of malaria-related deaths. Worldwide, malaria cases have decreased by 60% since 2000, but the disease still devastates communities in the world’s poorest countries. In Central America, malaria cases have dropped by 90% since 2000 but progress towards complete eradication has since stalled. This stop in progress is what motivated the Gates Foundation to dedicate more financial resources to this mission.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear Mr. Gates,

Malaria has been devastating communities in the world’s poorest countries even after significant progress has been made to eradicate the mosquito-borne disease. This disease mostly affects children, newborns, and pregnant women. While there have been improvements to ridding the world of this disease, progress has stopped since 2000.

As a result of your generous financial support of the cause, announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, hopefully steps can be taken to further fight this disease. Not only has your contribution made a statement about how important it is to support world health causes such as the fight against malaria, but it also shows a collaborative spirit with other donors like the Inter-American Development Bank and the Carlos Slim Foundation. With multiple sources of support, we can fight malaria in Latin America. Thank you for your support of this cause and I urge you to continue to invest in world health campaigns such as this.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here]

Photo Credit: JJ Harrison

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